Supercop Gets the Flu
by nalimom
Summary: Castle takes care of Beckett when she has a bad case of the flu.
1. Chapter 1

Castle approached Kate Beckett's desk, carrying his customary coffees, looking forward to the smile that always greeted him as she took her large skinny vanilla latte. He was sorely disappointed at her lack of response. She sat, bent over a file on her desk, her coat wrapped around her body, not looking up as he took his seat next to her desk.

"Coffee?" He asked, hoping to illicit the smile that made him get tingly all over.

"Huh?" She said as she turned toward him. "Oh, thanks, but I don't think so."

His mouth dropped open. Not only had she refused coffee, alarming in itself, but in spite of obvious effort to cover it, she looked pale and exhausted.

"Kate, are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Castle." She dismissed him and turned back to her files.

"No you're not." He put the coffees on her desk and reached out to her. He gently brushed her hair back and felt her forehead. "You're burning up."

"It's nothing." She sat back in her chair, looking at him. "I'll be fine."

"Look at you. You have a fever. You're shaking." He put his hand on her shoulder, gently spinning her chair so she as facing him.

"Easy with the spinning." She said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm her stomach.

"Face it." He sat in his chair and leaned in close to her. "Even Supercop can get the flu."

"I don't have the flu."

He smiled. "You have a fever. You're pale. You have chills." He picked up her coffee. "You are refusing coffee, for Pete's sake." He watched her close her eyes as the scent of the freshly brewed coffee assaulted her. "Nausea?"

She started to shake her head, but thought better of it. Instead she swallowed hard and sat back, further from the coffee.

"Come on." He said, standing and reaching for her hand.

"Where?"

"I'm taking you home."

"I can't go home. I have too much to do."

At that moment Captain Gates exited her office and walked toward them on her way to the break room for her morning coffee.

"Morning, Detective." She said to Beckett. She started to give Castle her usual look of disgust when she stopped and turned back to Beckett. "You look like hell, Detective."

"I'm fine, Sir."

"The last thing I need is you giving our entire precinct the flu." She gestured around the room. "Get out of here. Go home and come back when you are better."

"That's what I tried to tell her." Castle smiled.

Gates shot him a look that wiped the smile off his face.

"Sir, I am fine. I have to finish…"

Gates continued on her way to the break room. "I mean it. Go home. It's an order." She said over her shoulder.

"You heard the woman." Castle said with a smug grin. "Give me your keys. I'm taking you home."

He expected an argument as he opened the bottom drawer, removed her purse and her keys, and led her toward the elevator. Instead, for what may have been the first time in their relationship, she nodded and went quietly. The elevator doors opened and he gently steered her into the car with a firm hand against her low back. As the doors closed, he wrapped an arm around her waist, smiling as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I feel terrible." She said in a weak voice.

"I know." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

As a testament to how terrible Kate felt, she didn't argue when Castle opened the passenger side door for her. She slid into the seat silently and immediately rested her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She didn't open them the entire trip which, thankfully, was a short one. At one point, Castle thought he was going to need to pull over so she could throw up, but a perfectly timed stop light seemed to be enough to allow her to regain control.

"You going to make it?" He asked just as the light was about to turn green.

"I think so." She breathed deeply through her mouth. "Just miss the potholes. OK?"

"I'll do my best." He gave her a sympathetic smile.

They had barely made it into Kate's apartment when she suddenly turned very pale and rushed for her bathroom. Castle winced as he listened to the unmistakable sounds of retching. He walked through the bedroom and knocked on the bathroom door once she had finished.

"You OK in there?" He asked. "Can I get you anything?" When she didn't answer he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her to come out.

Eventually, the door opened and Kate shuffled out and toward her bed. Castle hopped up and peeled the covers back for her. "Adorable PJ's." He said as he helped her into bed.

"Thanks." She said as she slowly slid under the covers. Castle tucked her in.

"You're not even going to tell me to shut up?" He asked. "Now I'm worried."

She smiled weakly and settled her head against the pillow.

"Do you need anything?" He asked as he brushed her hair from her sweaty forehead.

"Can you get another blanket from the closet? I'm freezing." She wrapped herself more tightly in the comforter on the bed and shivered.

Castle left the room and returned a few minutes later with a thick blanket and a book. He set the book on the nightstand and spread the blanket over the bed.

"Thanks." She said through chattering teeth.

"My pleasure." He said as he walked to the other side of the bed, sat there and kicked off his shoes.

Kate opened her eyes and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting into bed with you." He said as he rested his head on the pillow next to hers.

"Why?"

"Because you need me."

Kate looked at him for a long time and he thought, for a moment, that she was going to make him leave. Instead she rolled on her side, facing away from him and sighed. "Whatever. I'm cold, I don't feel good and I just want to go to sleep."

Castle smiled as he felt her slide over closer to him. He thought it was probably to share his body heat, but allowed himself a moment to hope that maybe she just wanted to be closer to him. "Shhh." He boldly spooned up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "Is that better?" He asked against her hair.

"You're warm." She conceded in a shivering whisper. She snuggled a little closer and pulled the covers tightly under her chin.

Castle must have dozed off because he was suddenly awakened by Kate whipping the covers back and rushing to the bathroom. He watched the door slam and felt sorry, knowing how miserable Kate was and that there was nothing he could do to help her. He tried to read his book as he pretended not to hear her vomiting in the next room but ended up staring at the closed door instead.

He gave her a pity smile as she emerged, hair a mess and skin blotchy and pale. "Feel better?"

She rolled her eyes and climbed back into the bed, making no pretense as she curled up against him, resting her head on his chest. "Castle…"

"Hmmm…"

"You're warm." He wrapped his arms around her more tightly. "And you smell nice." She said.

"Thanks." He rested his cheek against her hair. "You usually smell nice."

"Shut up." She smiled in spite of misery.

Castle heard the bathroom door again as he stood in the kitchen, eating a peanut butter sandwich. He had rifled through the cabinets in Kate's kitchen finding them woefully bare except for a can of tomato soup and the jar of peanut butter. He thought about the soup, but thought the smell of anything cooking might be too much for Kate. He took his last bit of sandwich just as she shuffled around the corner.

"I thought you left." She said in a raspy voice.

"Nope." He walked over and put his hand tenderly on her forehead. "Just eating a sandwich." He pushed her hair out of her face, hooking it behind her ears. "Want something? Water maybe?"

She leaned back against the counter and sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea." She wrapped her arms around herself, obviously chilled.

He hugged her to him, rubbing some warmth into her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head and whispered. "Feeling any better?"

She groaned in response.

"I'm sorry." He held her close for a moment. "Come on." He released her slowly, but kept her hand in his. "Back to bed with you."

Kate didn't resist as he led her back to her bedroom.

"I have to admit that when I have pictured leading you to your bedroom… you weren't wearing fleece pajamas or looking quite so… um…"

"Shut up, Castle." She said quietly as he helped her back into bed. As he pulled the covers up to her chin, she asked, "You don't need to stay… if you have somewhere else to be, I mean."

He looked into her sleepy eyes. "Where else would I want to be?"

Kate smiled weakly. "Somewhere where you don't have to listen to someone puking every twenty minutes."

He smiled and touched her cheek. "Can you try to do that more quietly? Last time you woke me up." He kissed her forehead.

Castle lay in Kate's bed, propped up on pillows, typing on her laptop. She shifted beside him and he turned to look at her, suddenly very aware of her legs entwined with his own. He watched her lips as she slept and was struck by a strange feeling. Certainly he loved being near her. He had thought, countless times, of waking up next to her, but never in this situation. He had dreamed of kissing, caressing, making love. He had dreamed of passion and lust.

Here he was, lying next to her feeling a level of intimacy he had never experienced with any woman in his life. When Meredith or Gina had been sick, he had wanted to run the other way. Not his proudest moments, but probably one small symptom of much larger problems in their relationships. This was different. There was no pretense. They had seen each other at their best and their worst and because, or in spite of that, their relationship had become stronger.

He smiled to himself. What he had told her in the cemetery was just the tip of the iceberg. "Love" couldn't begin to describe the depth of his feelings for her.

"Rick?" She opened her eyes and squinted at the light streaming through the curtains. "Were you watching me sleep?" She mumbled.

"Huh? No." He lied.

She rolled over to face him. "Good, cuz that would be creepy."

"No kidding." He smiled when he noticed that the color was back in her cheeks. "You look like you're feeling a bit better."

Kate thought for a moment. "I'm still achy and I have a terrible headache, but I don't want to go puke my guts out."

"Definite improvement." He placed his hand against her cheek on the pretense of checking her temperature. He lingered. "I left you a glass of water there on the nightstand. You're dehydrated. That will give you a hell of a headache."

Kate looked into his eyes. "You're pretty good at this nurse thing. Maybe you missed your true calling." She sat up slowly and picked up the glass. She started drinking.

"Whoa." He put his hand on the glass. "Small sips for a while. Don't want to set that gut off again."

"Thanks." He took the glass and leaned across her body to place it back on the nightstand. She took the opportunity to hug him and kiss his cheek tenderly. "I mean it. Thanks." She whispered.

He held her gaze as he said, "Always." He kissed her forehead and returned to his side of the bed.

Kate emerged from the bedroom, freshly showered and wrapped in a terry robe. She smiled at Castle who stood by the stove, wearing an apron and stirring a pot on the stove.

"You'll make someone a nice little wife someday." Kate joked.

"Very funny." He replied, placing a bowl of soup on the table. "Are you ready to eat something?"

"Yeah." She couldn't take her eyes off of him. "Thanks."

He pulled the chair away from the table for her and placed a napkin on her lap. "Bon Appetite." He sat next to her and dug into his own lunch. "Listen. I am going to head home for a while. Take a shower, shave. Check in with Alexis and my mother."

Kate hoped she hid her disappointment. "Of course. You have gone way above and beyond here."

Castle dismissed her words and placed his hand over hers. "It was nothing."

They finished their meal in silence, then Castle rose to go. "I'll be back later and I'll do the dishes. You just rest."

"OK"

"I mean it, Kate. I know you. Now that you are up and around you will try to do too much." He took a step closer to her.

Kate's breathing quickened in response to the nearness.

"Promise me." He was so near, his natural scent surrounded her. She felt goosebumps arise on her skin. She nodded. "I want to hear you say the words." He whispered, his eyes burning into hers.

Kate swallowed, perhaps to hold back the other words which hung on the edge of being spoken. She was getting closer to being able to say them, but she wasn't quite there yet. Instead she said, "I promise."

"OK" He leaned closer and kissed her very softly. As their lips parted, he rested his forehead against her. "I'll see you later."

She nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Castle knocked on Kate's door but didn't hear anything in response. She had given him a key before he left, in case she was asleep when he returned, but he had been hesitant to use it. Their intimacy during her illness had made him happier than he had been in a long time, but now that she was feeling a bit better, he was terrified that it was all an illusion which would shatter like glass if he touched it carelessly.

He knocked again, a little louder this time, still getting no response. He sighed and considered the key. He also considered the phone in his hand. If she was sleeping, he didn't want to wake her. She needed to rest as much as she could. But what is she was in trouble? Passed out on the bathroom floor? He sighed and put the key in the lock, turning slowly and opening the door as quietly as possible. He walked inside and smiled at what he saw. Kate was lying on the couch, her laptop open on the coffee table, a half written case report on the screen.

Castle walked over to her and collected the files which were scattered around her. He put them in a neat pile next to the computer and hit the save button to be sure her work wouldn't be lost. He chuckled at the memory of the lost chapter of Storm Rising which had happened after a wild night of drinking and writing. He had passed out and somehow the chapter, a masterpiece for sure, had disappeared when he woke up.

As he looked at the screen he scanned the report. There in black and white was a summary of one of their recent cases involving the murder of a young woman who had come from a small town and tried to make it on Broadway, only to be murdered by an unscrupulous "agent." The story was a cliché and yet she portrayed the victim with respect and summarized the facts of the case as though it is the first time. For that victim… it was the first and last time. For Kate Beckett, for that moment, until justice is served for that poor woman, she is all that matters. It is one of the million things Castle loves about Kate Beckett.

He looked at her sleeping face, fighting the need to reach out and touch her. Instead, he pulled the blanket off the chair next to him and gently covered her. He pressed the lightest whisper of a kiss on her cheek and turned toward the kitchen. He was not surprised at all to find that she had put the dishes in the dishwasher. He had known before he had walked out the door. Kate didn't leave things half finished. Not in her kitchen. Not in her cases. Not in her life.

When Kate opened her eyes, she saw Castle sitting in the chair next to her, typing furiously on his computer.

"If this was a dream, you would be writing up case reports so I don't have to do them when I go back to work."

He smiled at her, wanting to tell her that looking at her case report had inspired a chapter for the new Nikki Heat novel he had been formulating. Truth was she inspired him daily. Instead he said, "What fun would that be?" He saved his work and set the computer down next to hers. "Are you admitting you dream about me?"

Normally she would have rolled her eyes, but instead she smiled at him. "Nope. Just about paperwork." His gaze warmed her and made her feel so… what? Safe? Comfortable? The smile that lit up his eyes as he placed his hand against her cheek answered the question. She felt loved. She closed her eyes and felt his warmth against her skin.

"Your fever is lower, but you are still pretty warm." His thumb traced across her lips. "You did the dishes."

"Sorry." She said as she sat up.

Castle moved over next to her on the couch. "You promised you would rest."

"I felt better."

"Liar."

"No, really. I felt better so I did the dishes and I started to get some reports written." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Then I got dizzy."

"Really?" He said in an "I told you so" tone. "You got dizzy after overdoing it? If only someone had warned against that."

"You're enjoying this a little too much."

He rested his head against the top of hers and smiled. "Maybe a little bit."

Kate awoke sometime later in her bed, alone. She looked toward the bathroom but the door was wide open. No sign of Castle. She heard his voice in the next room, trying to speak quietly. She strained to listen in.

"Please don't say that, Sweetie." He said. "I know I haven't been the best example, but I don't want you to…"

He sounded upset.

"Do you want me to come home?" He asked. He paused to listen for a moment. "She's sleeping now but I could… no. OK. Call me if you want to talk some more."

She watched him hang up his phone and sit on the arm of her sofa with a big sigh. He was obviously lost in thought and didn't seem to notice when she got out of bed, wrapped herself in her robe and walk to the doorway.

"You OK, Castle?" She asked, making him jump.

"Hey." He replied. "How long have you been up?"

"Long enough to see something's eating you." She sat in the chair across from him.

He let himself fall back on the couch so he was lying on his back, his legs still hanging over the armrest. "Alexis."

"Is she alright?"

He shrugged in reply. Kate waited a moment to see if he would elaborate.

"She has concluded that true love is an illusion propagated by Hollywood and the greeting card companies."

"Oh." Kate smiled weakly. "Ashley?"

He nodded. "She was sure that they were going to be together forever and that they had real love." He pulled himself into a seated position. "When that fell apart she decided that there is no such thing."

"She'll figure it out."

"Will she?" He asked.

"Of course she will. She's so young…"

"She doesn't exactly have great role models. I am twice divorced. Mother is, well, Mother. Which one of us is going to teach her?"

"Look, Castle," she sighed lightly and sat back in her chair. "I'm not exactly an expert either, but I haven't stopped looking… in spite of my own history. I know it is real."

Castle stared, his voice was an intimate whisper. "How?"

Their eyes held for a long moment before she looked down at her hands and continued. "There was a time when I was about Alexis' age. I had been going out with the same boy for two years." She was lost in thought for a moment. "Daryl Martin." She smiled. "We had that wonderful, youthful, hormone-driven love that only teenagers can experience. It was us against the world. We were sure we were going to be together forever."

Castle nodded with a grin.

"And then we weren't." She shook her head. "I was sure our breakup was proof that love didn't exist."

Again their eyes met. "What changed your mind?"

She smiled. "Mom." She looked at the photo of her parents on the bookcase. "She let me wallow in misery for a while but eventually she came to talk. It made a lot of difference. Really changed my outlook…"

Castle saw the dark cloud come over her face and knew she was thinking of the "wall" which had surrounded her emotions since her mother's murder. "You were in love with a guy named Daryl?" He joked. She didn't respond. "So what did she say?" He asked, wanting to bring her back from the darkness.

"She told me that there are all kinds of love." Her eyes cut to his. "Without making me feel unimportant, she told me that young people love in a fiery, chemical driven way. She said it's all about passion and excitement; about longing and the need to have an ally against the challenges of life."

"I bet that went over well with a teenage girl."

"Oh, I was pissed. I argued that she was too old to understand." She laughed quietly at the memory. "I told her that my generation was so much more sophisticated than hers had been. She let me finish my rant… she was so good at knowing when to just sit back and listen."

"Probably made her a great lawyer." He observed.

"And a great parent." Kate got quiet for a moment. "Anyway, I ranted and raved and when I got it all out of my system, Mom went on to tell me that she did understand because she had been just like me once."

"It's amazing how kids forget that their parents were young once." Castle said, obviously speaking from experience.

Kate fought the urge to comment on Castle's boyish tendencies even as an adult. Instead she nodded and continued. "She described the differences in what I had felt for Daryl and what she felt for my father." She swallowed hard as a lump built in her throat. "She said that it was one thing to love the person who dotes on you and leaves sweet notes in your locker. That was easy." She looked at the picture again. "Then she said it was quite another thing to look at the person who left their dirty socks on the floor next to the hamper and know that you loved them." She smiled. "She looked me in the eye and said, when you can look at him, in his old sweatpants, watching the basketball game, drinking a beer and burping loudly and still think…" Tears fell. "And still think that you are the luckiest person in the world…" Her voice failed for a moment. "That's when you know that you have the kind of love that will last forever."

Castle reached over and took her hand. That love her parents had shared had also let to her dad's downward spiral following her mom's death. His thumb stroked the back of her hand very softly, then raised it to his lips. "They would both admit that it was worth it, I'm sure of it."

She nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "Dad did say it… once he had recovered." Her eyes burned into his. "He told me that more than anything, he wants me to know that love." The emotion in her voice was obvious.

"Your father is a wise man." He said in a breathy whisper.

"So is Alexis'. You'll figure it out." She kissed his cheek softly.

Castle closed his eyes as her lips met his skin, taking a deep breath. "Thanks." They lingered there a moment, lost in emotion, but Castle suddenly shook his head and stood. "You need fluids. Want some tea?"

"Thanks." She started to get up to follow him into the kitchen.

"Stay where you are. I'm just going to put the kettle on." He called over his shoulder. "Lay on the couch and rest."

"I'm not the lying around type." She said as she lowered her aching body back onto the sofa and pulled the blanket over her body.

Castle watched her settle in and thought about her mother's words. She wasn't drinking beer and he was certain her dirty socks always made it to the hamper. She was pale and clammy and he was all but certain he would get the flu after taking care of her, but he didn't care. He watched her pull the blanket more tightly around herself and felt like the luckiest man in the world. He opened his mouth to say so.

"Kate, I…" He walked in and looked at her. "I was thinking maybe we could watch a movie or something." He cringed inwardly at his loss of nerve.

"Sure." She curled her legs up so he could sit on the end of the couch. Once he sat, she rested her feet on his lap. He immediately began rubbing her feet.

"That feels nice."

He continued rubbing, feeling her shiver. "Cold?"

She shrugged.

"Scoot over." He said as he slid next to her, wrapping her in his arms. "Better?"

Kate relaxed against him and closed her eyes. "Much."


End file.
